


We Pretend That We're Something More Than Friends

by smallstarfox



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Confessions, Cute, F/F, Fake/Pretend Relationship, First Kiss, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Mutual Pining, Slow Dancing, Weddings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-01
Updated: 2019-12-31
Packaged: 2021-02-27 10:46:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 14,759
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22055764
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smallstarfox/pseuds/smallstarfox
Summary: When Yaz recalls an important family event she forgot to schedule a shift to work over, she needs someone to accompany her to beat the judgement of her family. With Ryan away, her only hope lies with the Doctor. But, crossed wires leaves both of them feeling more than confused about their relationship and feelings for each other.
Relationships: Thirteenth Doctor/Yasmin Khan
Comments: 47
Kudos: 228





	1. We Feel We'll Never End

**Author's Note:**

  * For [not_joli](https://archiveofourown.org/users/not_joli/gifts).



> I've been talking about this for a while, but it's finally done.  
> I wasn't planning on it being this long to be honest with you, it really got away from me.  
> I was just going to do a little oneshot of a few paragraphs...but here we are!  
> Writing gets away from me so much these days. This fandom is too good for me and my brain.
> 
> Anyway, this idea entirely came from Joli, and it's been a nice learning curve for me.  
> I hope you all enjoy it~

Yaz had been dreading the day for weeks, although really she had been so wrapped up in her adventures that she had almost forgotten about the date entirely. It wasn’t until her phone buzzed in her hands with a reminder that she felt her stomach drop. Another wedding. Another day for her to be ridiculed for turning up alone and hanging around on the sidelines. At least she could make this one, normally she cleverly worked her shifts so that she couldn’t attend and just sent a congratulations card. Who was it this time? Chewing on the inside of her cheek, Yaz tapped on the notification to drag up the details she needed. Another one of her cousins apparently. This time it was Dinesh, one of her dad’s family members. He was a bright guy, starting his first year as a junior doctor and was marrying his childhood sweetheart Asha. She hardly spoke to her cousins, it was more Sonya’s deal than hers, having spent all of her time going through police training and such. She did like her family, but her parents and sister were more than enough for her. At least her Nani would be there for her to talk to while the rest of her family socialised.

But that didn’t fix her conundrum of going solo. Her aunts and uncles looked at her with strange stares, hushed whispers about her considerable lack of love-life. She hated it. What business was it of theirs whether or not she had someone to go with? Sonya always turned up with a different boy each time, and nobody batted an eyelid at that. Then again, it did mean she was probably going to be the next wedding in line...which was an equally terrifying thought. Her baby sister, getting married before her, to some random guy. No, Yaz couldn’t think about it. Wouldn’t. It wouldn’t do her any good. It wasn’t as if she had anyone to ask. Her only option was Ryan, but he was away on a lads weekend with his mates. She was happy for him, really, but also secretly annoyed he had somehow been double booked. There was nobody else to…

Or...was there?

No. No, she couldn’t do that. That was entirely inappropriate, out of bounds, and she was more than sure that there would be a rejection and Yaz knew she wouldn’t be able to take it. With a groan, she shoved her phone back inside the pocket of her leather jacket, slinging her backpack across one shoulder. If the TARDIS could just...randomly whisk her away somewhere and happen to bring her back too late for the wedding, then Yaz wished with every fibre of her being that it would set off right then and there. Thoughts continued to circle around in her head as she made her way through the honeycombed hallways of the sentient ship, so far lost in her world that she started at the Doctor waving happily towards her. Yaz knew it was an act, and that the Doctor not so secretly hated when they all left for some downtime back on earth. It left her alone, and she didn’t really do alone very well. Something that Yaz could empathise with. She gave a lackadaisical wave back, mouthing an apology as she came to stand next to the Doctor.

“Alright Yaz, you looked a bit out of sorts then. Everything alright?”

  
  


Of course the Doctor noticed, she always did. She had either a second sense for whenever Yaz was feeling a little off, or she was somehow better at reading people than her general awkwardness gave across. Either way, she appreciated the sentiment, trying her best to smile in response to the question.

“Oh, yeah. Sorry. I just forgot there’s something I have to do tomorrow and...well, I don’t really want to do it. Can’t get out of it though. Really really wish I could.”

That seemed to pique the Doctor’s curiosity, as soon she was standing in front of Yaz with her trademark confused quirk of eyebrows and concentrating face. It was a little bit adorable. Except, she really shouldn’t be thinking things like that,

“Oh? What’s happening tomorrow? Anything I can help with? You know I like a good problem, me. Keeps me on my toes. Plus, it’s not like I’ve got that much to do anyway. I’d just end up floating around the time vortex for a bit. Had a ban on maintenance. And just generally making things. TARDIS says I’m making too much of a mess, but what is scientific discovery without some sparks and smoke?! Honestly, I’m starting to think she wants me out again.”

Far too adorable. Yaz didn’t say anything for a moment, half wondering whether or not to make up a lie and just be done with the whole thing. The Doctor didn’t need to know what was going on, but then again...at this point, she was beyond desperate. Plus, there was a little something that Yaz thought she saw in the Doctor’s eyes that made her think she was practically begging to be part of something.

“Just a family wedding. Again. I miss most of them because of work but...I forgot to swap my shifts around after that incident yesterday. So now I have to go. But...I just...it’s nothing. Never mind.”

The Doctor wouldn’t understand what she meant. Time and time again she had shown that she had a bit of a problem with human customs and cultures. Despite how long she had supposedly been around them. Yaz put it down to just being alien, although the Doctor was quite capable of repeating thousands of things about the customs of other races. Was she putting on a front? Whatever it was, with all the rigmarole that was involved with going to one of her family weddings, Yaz thought better of that tiny voice in her head that was telling her to just ask the Doctor. It would be more trouble trying to keep her on a leash, than just dealing with the comments her family always seemed to make. Except, the Doctor was somehow still insisting on something.

“Oh, a wedding! Yaz, you know I love a good wedding. Why didn’t you say so! Also, still sorry about what happened on Loxan...really sorry. But, why don’t you want to go?”

She was going to find out sooner or later, more than likely when Yaz came back in a bit of a huff.

“My family likes to make a really big deal out of the fact I don’t ever bring anyone to these events. It’s not that I don’t want to...just...well, they treat every plus one as a date and I don’t really do that kind of thing I guess.”

“Oh. Why’s that a problem though? I can come with you.”

Having had her mind set on the idea of the Doctor just telling her she would be fine, or maybe even offer her a trip to get out of it, Yaz certainly hadn’t been expecting her to just up and offer herself up on a silver platter. She had to kill the idea, fast, because it was surely a lot more trouble than it was worth.

“Doctor...you did hear me say the word ‘date’ right? As in...going out? Being together? As...a...um…”

Yaz didn’t want to say the word, but thankfully she didn’t have to. The Doctor was smiling at her now, hands on her hips, giving her the look that clearly said she had made up her mind on the matter.

“‘Course I know what you mean, Yaz. You just need someone to be there to get your family off your back, right? I can do that no problem. I’m quite good at changing topics. Can get people to talk about anything in the universe. Although I guess I can’t really say a lot...what with nobody knowing about all this stuff. Still, should be fine. Good in a tight spot. Now then, what time do you want me to come get you? Also, I guess there’s gonna be a dress code, huh? I can work with that. So yeah, just tell me when and I’ll be there. No problem at all.”

_ ‘I’m going to die…’ _

* * *

Sleep had been hard to come by that night, which was terribly inconvenient when most of the day had to be spent getting ready for the wedding. So much so that her mum had told all of them to be up at 6am, meaning she had had only around five hours sleep at best. Not a good look at all. Except, how could she have slept, when all of her night had been spent thinking about the scenario she was going to find herself in. The Doctor. Coming to the wedding with her. As her plus one. As her date. What was she going to tell her parents? What was she going to tell anyone? In between the chaotic anxiety, she had found herself wondering what the Doctor was going to wear, which was not helping the situation at all. She had had no time to mention that the dress code was not overtly cultural, despite her mum’s insistence on her wearing her ‘special dress’.

Dragging herself out of bed with a mumble as her mum gently tapped on her door, Yaz staggered over to her door and yanked her dressing gown down. Despite the warmer weather, her room was still beyond freezing in the mornings, and she was craving the warmth of a cup of tea to beat the chill. Plus, perhaps a hit of caffeine would stop her from saying anything when her mum no doubt questioned her about her supposed lack of date. What was the better option; telling her, or just letting the Doctor turn up on her doorstep?  There was no real time to think about anything, not with the chaos going on in her lounge. Her mum had already started off on a tirade of micromanaging, as she had somewhat expected. Her dad was busy preparing a breakfast that looked big enough to feed half a dozen people. Sonya meanwhile, was nowhere to be seen, but Yaz could hear her calling out from her room down the hallway.

“I can’t find the gold one, why can’t I wear pink?”

“Because you’re going to clash with the magenta your sister is wearing. Sonya, the dress is right to the left side, you can’t miss it, I put it in there last night.”

Doing her best to keep out of the way, Yaz sat down at the table, turning around on the chair so she was facing her dad. She could smell his signature omelettes cooking away, the sizzling mixing in with the sound of the kettle bubbling away in the background. The table had already been laid out with roti and a fruit salad, meaning that there was no way she was about to starve before the massive feast that no doubt awaited her once the wedding had ended. Despite her dad’s not so brilliant attempts at cooking at times, he was really well versed on the best breakfasts. Yaz had taken many of them to work with her, and even shared them around on the odd occasion.

“Morning. Has your mother got to you yet?”

“No, thankfully. I think she’s just busy with Sonya. Smells great, by the way.”

“Thank you, I do try my best. I’m glad you’ll be coming with us this time. It’s not often we get to go out as a full family unit. I know you can’t help your shifts and all that, though they should be more lenient with this kind of thing. Anyway, how’re you feeling this morning?”

Her dad came over with the first plate of omelette, carefully placing it on the table before turning back to the kitchen behind Yaz. The kettle clicked off, and she could hear him shuffling around to find the mugs her mum had no doubt put onto a new shelf again.

“I’m alright. Didn’t sleep so good though, but it’s fine. Guess I’m just a little nervous about all of this.”

Soon enough, there was a tea in front of her as well, made just the way she liked it; a rich black tea with a splash of milk and two sugars. The first sip made her sigh with content, the placebo effect of the caffeine already hitting her subconscious mind and waking her up. Another one of those before they left the house, and she would be right as rain again. Although, her mind was already drifting off to what was going to happen. Before she could catch what her dad had just asked, her mum came and sat next to her, somehow already set with her makeup for the occasion. Yaz hadn’t even thought about how she was going to do hers.

“Morning love. Please tell me you’re more prepared than your sister is. We really can’t stand to be late to this thing. I don’t want to upset your father’s brother again.”

Placing her mug back down on the table, Yaz set about her usual morning routine of idle chit-chat with her parents. Sonya hardly ever stuck around for breakfast, which was how she preferred it really. Especially when her head was already all over the place with bouncing wild thoughts. So far, everything was just general talk about the wedding and who was going to be there. Some family members she hadn’t seen in years were going to be there, which was quite a surprise. However, much to her visible disappointment, her Nani had come down with a cold and wouldn’t be able to attend. She was going to be her escape route, which meant that Yaz had to linger around for the whole duration and not sneak her back home sometime in the afternoon.

“Are you alright, Yaz? You’ve gone a little pale.”

Much like the Doctor the day before, Yaz knew there was no way she could even begin to try and hide anything from her mum. She was far too perceptive about anything and everything. She tried to brush it off as just being concerned for her Nani, which she was, but she saw in an instance that her answer wasn’t just settling quite right. Of course it wasn’t. Which meant that a new conversation was about to start, and she could see it a mile way. The fact she had lasted a good twenty minutes and almost managed to finish her breakfast before it being asked was nothing short of a miracle.

“So...did you manage to find someone to bring with you for this? You know people are-”

“Come on now, love, you said you weren’t going to bring it up.”

Almost passive-aggressively arranging her cutlery onto her plate, Yaz, pushed her chair out from the table and picked her plate and mug up to take into the kitchen. She turned away from both of her parents, just as her dad had just sat at the table, turning the tap on to disguise the slight venom in her tone.

“Actually, mum, I have. They’ll be here before we leave. Now, if you excuse me, I need to go and get ready myself.”

“Yasmin...who’s coming?”

She ignored her mum’s question, simply returning to her room and quietly closing the door behind her. She pressed herself to the wood and let out a long sigh, wringing her hands into her loose curls and dragging her nails across her skull. This was quite possibly the worst thing that had ever happened to her, and as she looked up to see the dress hanging against her wardrobe, Yaz wondered again if she was going to survive the experience. However, something quickly shifted in her head. Something she didn’t expect. Yaz looked over at her dress with a smile on her face, a quick pace to her heart. If she was going to have to bring the Doctor with her to this wedding, under the vicious scrutiny of her family, then she was going to make the most of the experience. She was going to enjoy herself. She was going to show the rest of her family just what they wanted to see.

* * *

“Yasmin, are you ready?”

“Almost, mum. Just finishing up my eyeliner, be out in a few minutes.”

Really, that was a lie. Yaz had gotten herself ready almost half an hour ago. All she was doing was sitting on her bed and staring out of the window. Her leather jacket was draped over her shoulders, keeping some of the warmth in. At least the venue was going to be warmer than her flat. She was wearing one of her two-piece dresses, somehow suddenly feeling very self conscious about it all. She was showing off both her shoulder and back, but also her torso, and something about that felt very strange. The Doctor had never seen her in anything other than countless layers, and although Yaz was proud of all the work that had gone into getting the body she both wanted and needed, it was such an intimate thing she wasn’t sure if she was ready to share. The gold filigree detailing brought out the warmer tones in both her skin and her eyes, standing out beautifully against the teal in her top and deep magental of her long skirt. Gold bangles rested on both of her wrists, unshifting as she moved to tuck a loose piece of hair behind her ear.

Hands then came to play with the end of her braid, a slight shadow falling over her eyes from the white and yellow flower crown resting on top of her head. Had she gone too overboard with it all? Her mum had said it was part of the requested code for them but...was she just making it up so she could impress her still nameless date? Probably. Yaz wouldn’t put it past her really. She had had to crack out her nail polish, her wheel of eyeshadow, and even lipstick. It was the most dolled up Yaz had seen herself in a long time, she looked so...different. Was she even herself anymore? Nervously chewing on the inside of her cheek again, it was about time she set about sitting in the lounge with the rest of her family before her mum decided to careen into her room and drag her out. Shaking her jacket off her shoulders and taking a final look in the mirror, Yaz forced herself to go out and face the music. 

Much to her chagrin, she had spaced out for long enough for her to miss the arrival of her sister’s plus one. The two of them had taken up the sofa, lounging across it and doing nothing but staring at their phones. She vaguely recognised him as one of Sonya’s friends from school, so at least she wasn’t bringing someone random for once. Perhaps her mum had gotten to her too. Seemed likely. Hearing a clap coming from the dining table, she turned to see her mum beaming at her, faking a tear wipe.

“Yasmin, you look beautiful. Doesn’t she look good dear?”

Rolling her eyes at the obvious attempt to butter her up, Yaz took one of the empty seats at the table and started to nervously wring her hands in her lap. She smiled over to her dad, who was nodding rather proudly. Everything in the room felt oddly tense, but also comforting. It was a strange mixture of emotions for her to deal with. Her eyes drifted over to the clock, noticing it was almost ten. Meaning, the Doctor should be arriving any moment. She hoped. Surely she wasn’t going to be late? It would be like the Doctor, except she also knew that her mum was impossible to keep around longer than a few minutes if she had a plan set out for the day. Which she no doubt did, judging by her restless fidgeting and checking of the watch on her wrist rather than the clock behind her. Yaz tried to concentrate on her breathing, counting them in in rounds of three, trying to stop herself from thinking about her family. Their stares. Their leading comments. Their disappointed tone. It was everything she hated in a family gathering. Things were probably going to be even worse considering who she was bringing along.

As her thoughts spiralled further down into sheer panic, she was broken out of her stupor by the triple ring of her doorbell, followed by several rapid fire knocks. Every person in the room quickly stood to attention, eyes turning to the door. Yaz wanted the world to swallow her whole, especially as her mum turned to give her ‘the side eye’ and go towards the door. Holding her breath in her throat, she waited out the awkward encounter from the sidelines, hearing a very recognisable voice fill the flat with bright and bubbly energy.

“Ah! Hi Ya- um. Morning Najia. You’re looking absolutely amazing. Wouldn’t’ve expected anything less. I’m not late am I? I really tried to be on time with this one.”

The Doctor tried her best to smile, but somehow, she found herself feeling strangely nervous under the steely stare of Yaz’s mum. Last time they had met, she had brushed her off with no problems at all. But this time was different. Very different. There wasn’t any biological hazard to deal with. No supposed monsters. Just. The monster of social interaction and every part of her that was screaming to run away because couldn’t cope with it all. Except her eyes momentarily dipped past Najia and into the flat, catching the slightest outline of someone else behind the wall. Was it Yaz? She hoped it was Yaz. That would really be helpful.

“Doctor? As much as it’s always a pleasure…what are you doing here?”

Najia stood almost defensively at the door, barring the Doctor any kind of entrance into the flat. Her eyes scanned over her quickly, head falling to the side slightly as she took in the sight. Instead of her usual ensemble of wild colours and clashing clothing combinations, she had turned up in a suit. The near-black fabric had a strange blue sheen in the light, sitting nicely over her figure and highlighting her bleached white shirt. Small ruffles decorated the collar, lying flat behind a star patterned blue bowtie. A white rose was sitting in her breast pocket, and judging by the slightly browning around the edges it was fresh. Her hair was somewhat tousled from the wind, with one side tucked behind her ear to show off her usual piercing combination.

“Oh, right. Yes. Of course. Well, I’m here for Yaz! Not to like, take her away or anything. Pretty sure nothing is going on today, I made sure to triple check. No, I said I’d come to the wedding with her. Didn’t she mention anything?”

Yaz was busted.

“Oh. No, she didn’t. Come on in Doctor, there’s plenty of time before we leave for the venue.”

Yaz could feel all eyes turning on her in that moment, and she could have sworn she heard Sonya snickering ‘busted’ behind her. Which was not helping at all. Still, she had unintentionally made her choice, and had promised she was going to enjoy herself regardless, so the acting started then. Quickly brushing out some of the wrinkles in her skirt, she stood up from the table and moved to stand closer to the small hallway. Her mum had her yes fixated on her, and Yaz wanted to desperately explain herself, but her gaze was soon shifted elsewhere as she felt someone enter her personal space. Of course it was the Doctor, there was nobody else it could be, but it still didn’t stop Yaz from momentarily forgetting how to talk the moment she laid eyes on the Time Lord.

_ ‘She…really did herself up for this.’ _

While Yaz was simply struggling to work out what to say in a strangely tense atmosphere of her own creation, the Doctor had forgotten everything to do with being around people. Her mouth dropped slightly, eyes unable to focus on any one thing in particular. Her mind was awash with bold colours, gold accents, and so much more of Yaz than she had ever seen in the time they had been travelling together. For starters, the Doctor had never realised how toned her companion was. She could see the faint outline of muscle structure across her arms, over her shoulders, peeking out in the gap between her top and skirt. That was before she could take in the braid slung over one shoulder and the mass of flowers circling the top of her head.

“Doctor…you…um…you look good. Glad you could make it.”

That was certainly not the most smooth she had ever been in her life, and Yaz mentally kicked herself into the dirt. Then again, what really was she supposed to say in front of her parents and her sister? There was no way it was a safe place for her to say what she really thought. How she was in awe of how the suit hugged every inch of the Doctor’s figure. How she adored the hint of glitter in her bow tie, and marveled how it shone in the natural light of the room. How her face was perfectly framed by her hair and…the pastel pink tinge appearing on her cheeks the longer the silence between them spanned on for.

“Yaz. I. Wow. Um…yeah, I’m…um…glad I got here in one piece. And on time for once. Would have been really awkward otherwise. You look…great. I. I’m gonna stop talking before I ruin this.”

With a smile tugging at the corners of her lips, Yaz gestured towards the spare dining chair and leant in a little closer to the Doctor as she moved to take the offered seat.

“Probably best.”

* * *

With Sonya being driven by her ‘friend’ Kian, Yaz was left in the back of her mum’s car with the Doctor. As much as she tried to look out of the window and pay attention to the sights and sounds of the Sheffield outskirts, she kept finding herself drawn to the Doctor. Her eyes would wander across the green-grey fabric of the car’s interior seats, travelling up from the Doctor’s legs until she reached the hint of braces she hadn’t noticed before. Of course she would never leave without them in some capacity. When she looked at the Doctor, she never caught her eye, just watched her as she remained unusually quiet. It was so surreal to think that everything was going alright. Even her mum had stayed quiet on the journey. However, Yaz knew full well it was just the calm before the storm, and her worst hurdles were yet to come. When she turned back to the window, she felt the seats shifting, as well as something cool brushing past the side of her hand.

“You okay Yaz?”

Turning around again, she saw the Doctor looking at her softly, hand brushing against her own. It felt cool against the clammy heat she felt on her own skin, and it was soothing. There was just something about the Doctor’s presence that made her feel at ease, like everything was going to be okay. She liked that. How long had that been a thing for?

“Yeah...I will be. Once we’re there I guess. Although I still don’t really want to be there, you know?"

The Doctor gave her a short nod in response, but moved her hand back when she realised how close they were. Yaz wanted to question the motion, but her words were cut off before they even started.

“Don’t worry, everything’s gonna be alright. I’ve got your back.”

With those words, Yaz felt her heart rate drop back to a respectable level, and it was nice. She trusted the Doctor to make sure everything was alright, and perhaps she had been worrying a little too much about how awkward she could be at times. She had managed to talk to her mum without any issues while they were making their way to the car, even pulling off a joke that made bother her and her dad laugh in unison. In the time that they had spent together, the Doctor had come along in how she approached them. Sonya was a lot harder to work around and continued to make jokes about her, but it was a lot easier to ignore them. Yaz offered a soft smile over towards the Time Lord before turning to look back out of the window again.

The world was morphing back into a vague cityscape, meaning that they would soon be at the venue. She was glad in part that everything was taking place at a local hall before transferring over to the mosque across the road. There was time for her to get into the swing of things before she introduced the Doctor to a real Indian wedding. The one in Pakistan would be nothing in comparison.

* * *

Yaz was somewhat glad that her mum and dad disappeared off almost instantly to start integrating into the event. It was easy to slip away from the welcoming party and simply start to enjoy the event for what it was. Music was playing faintly in the distance, and she could see the drummers starting to set themselves up and practice before the procession down the street. Different branches of her family, and many people she had never met before, were all dressed in varying bright colours mixed with gold and silver. She loved that part of her culture, how diverse and bold it was. There was a table off to the side where people could leave their gifts for the lucky couple, for when they all returned later for the presumably massive spread of food. And the dance. She was certainly not looking forward to that part. However, Yaz was pulled from her train of thought when she saw someone approaching from the corner of her eye. Gently tapping the Doctor's shoulder to pull her out of her own wonderment, she slyly gestured over.

"My aunt and uncle, dad’s side."

The Doctor stood to attention, quickly pushing down a couple of creases in her shirt and putting on her best smile as two people came over and gave Yaz a hug.

"Oh, Yasmin! Look at you, dear. It's so nice to see you here, I'm surprised the force let you off duty. You even brought someone with you, wonderful. Care to introduce us?"

In that moment, Yaz felt her blood run cold. She had already had enough trouble trying to get her close family to understand that 'Doctor' was just her name. There was no way she was going to get that past anyone else. But, what was she even going to call her otherwise? Eyes widened in abject horror, mouth opening just enough to respond, before she was beaten to the punch.

"Hiya. I'm the Doctor. Well, Doctor Jane Smith, actually. Yaz's date. Pleasure to meet you."

She held out her hand and received two surprised hand shakes, and Yaz was gobsmacked at how quickly her family where drawn into the story.

"Well aren't you a delight. Yasmin, you're dating a doctor? You're going to give Dinesh and Asha a run for their money. How have you managed to keep this hidden?"

Soon enough, the Doctor was regaining her aunt and uncle with a story of how they met. It was so plausible, that she really had to concentrate as so to not believe it herself. Apparently, they had met on the job when she had had to sort a disturbance out at the hospital where 'Jane' worked and things had progressed on from there. Not a single out of place thing was mentioned, and Yaz felt herself burning up when the Doctor casually draped her arm across her shoulders and pulled her closer. She could smell the burnt oil that always clung to her skin, topped off with some kind of deep and earthy fragrance Yaz concluded was cologne. The conversation lasted a good ten minutes, but soon her aunt and uncle were off to talk to other people around the area, leaving Yaz lost for words over what had just happened.

"Well, that's one lot of family down. Was that alright? I didn't go overboard or anything did I Yaz?"

"N-no. No, you didn't Doctor. But...where did all that come from? I've never seen them so placated. They didn't even ask me any questions."

The Doctor removed her arm from across her shoulders, hands shifting into the pockets of her trousers as she shrugged her shoulders sheepishly.

"Funny story really. I've been using a fake name for ages on Earth. But I can't really go by John can I? I mean, I could try, but I didn't think it would go down well. And used to have a friend, Sarah Jane Smith, and Jane is close to John so I went with that. As for the rest of it, well, I only had to tell a little bit of a lie or two. I mostly kept it accurate to what has happened. I thought about it a lot last night and this morning before I came to get you, and I practiced with the TARDIS for hours so I wouldn't slip up and forget and make things awkward or uncomfortable for you. I mean, that's what dates do, right? Now, come on, I think someone else wants your attention."

The Doctor took hold of her hand and guided her across the room towards someone in the distance who was waving towards the pair of them. Once again, after a brief introduction from Yaz, the Doctor was off regaling them with little snippets of information. Yaz was not entirely surprised that her mum’s side of the family was asking a lot more leading questions. She could already feel their eyes boring into her, trying to insinuate something, but the Doctor was always one step ahead of them. She would hold her hand, or stroke her shoulder, anything to prove whatever was going on was something genuine. The same routine played itself over for half an hour, before Yaz was more than convinced that people were going to leave them alone now. She had let the Doctor do the talking for her, which was nice, it gave her room to think about the rest of the day. For everything that her surprise plus one had done for her, she wanted to thank her. While they had been chatting away, Yaz had spotted a little edition to the gathering that she was sure was going to take the Doctor’s fancy.

“Phew. Yaz, you didn’t tell me you had such a big family. I’ve lost track of how many people we’ve talked to. Well, I’ve talked to. Sorry, I didn’t mean to go over the top. I just...didn’t want them to have the chance to ask anything awkward. I guess it’s already a little on the nose that you brought me. Well, I say me, I mean a woman. Is that what you were scared of? I know your mum had already tried asking things before now. Is this something that they don’t know about?”

“I...um...kind of. It’s just that my family assume a lot of things. And when I said that anyone coming with me would be a date date...I did mean it. You don’t bring friends to these kinds of events. Not really. I always come alone for that reason. But, thank you for looking out for me. I think I’d be dead in the water by now. So, to say thank you, I was wondering if you wanted to get some henna with me? Everyone’s getting done before the actual wedding, so if you do-”

Once again, Yaz found herself cut off by a hand grabbing her own and leading her through the people at the pre-wedding gathering. Apparently, the Doctor had noticed the little set up in the room as soon as they had walked in and had been eyeing it up for the last hour. Both of them took a seat at the table, the Doctor almost vibrating on her chair as she watched Yaz pull over two henna cones. She handed one of them over to the Doctor, who looked over to her quite perplexed. Which was understandable, considering the only time she had ever experienced it was back in time. She had watched her family, then, apply the henna with small sticks and tap the stain into her skin. But Yaz was much more used to the cones.

“Give me one of your palms, Doctor. I’ll do one for you, then you can do one for me. Sound good?”

The Doctor nodded eagerly, a wide smile on her face as she presented Yaz with her left palm. It was one of the rare moments she witnessed where the Time Lord stayed inhumanly still. Not a single part of her moved for the duration, not even her eyes, which Yaz could feel burning her with their hard gaze. It was intimidating, uncomfortable, if a little bit exciting. She was concerned at how much she liked having the Doctor watch her, but she swore she would focus on the task at hand. Hands moved slowly as she made up her own take of the pattern her Nani had taught her as a child, adding more flourishes to the flower petals and swirling leaves. She moved the pattern as far down the Doctor’s wrist she could, careful not to mark up her beautiful suit, reaching to the tips of her fingers as well. It had been years since she had last touched henna of any kind, but when she put the cone back down on the table, Yaz marvelled at her work as the Doctor inspected her hand.

When the Doctor put her hand on the table, back down, her eyes were shining with joy. It left Yaz feeling a strange kind of speechlessness. All she could do was watch as she picked up a cone of her own and gesture towards her hand.

“Can’t promise I’ll be any good at this, but I’ve got just the thing. Palm up.”

Yaz did as instructed, watching intently as the Doctor set to work with so much concentration, her tongue poked out slightly between her lips as she began to draw against her skin. She had no real idea of what to expect, and couldn’t see what the Doctor was going for her hair. Instead, Yaz closed her eyes and tried to work things out from the feeling of the henna moving across her skin. The first line seemed to travel all around her palm. Was she drawing a circle? The same kind of motions were repeated over and over again, only broken up by the occasional lines or dots. Whatever it was, the Doctor was working fast, and before long the cone was moved away from her hand and Yaz opened her eyes. She looked down to her palm, lifting it slightly so she could get a better look at it. She had been right, it was circles, and whatever it was...it was beautiful.

“Doctor...what is this?”

“Do ya like it?”

Turning her gaze towards the Doctor, Yaz was lost as to whether to laugh or start crying. The corner of her lips quivered as she took a breath in through her nose and nodded slowly. The Doctor went to clap her hands in joy, but quickly put her tattooed hand back down on the table and laughed quietly to herself.

“I...it’s beautiful. Does it mean anything, or?”

“Oh. Right. Well. Bit of a long story really. Really long. Like, hours. But it’s...it’s part of my culture, I guess. Part of who I am. It’s a language that doesn’t really exist anymore, but you’ve seen it in the TARDIS. Dotted about in places. As for what it says...well...it says...um...I cherish you.”

It was a language? She cherished her? Yaz wanted to ask more, to uncover one of the mysteries that made up the Doctor, but she had no time. She could hear her dad calling her from somewhere in the room, which meant that the wedding was going to kick off soon. Time had certainly flown, and it was a crying shame to be parted from the moment. Still, it meant they were closer to leaving. Paying close attention not to catch the henna on parts of her skirt, Yaz rose up from her seat and offered her free hand out to the Doctor. She took it carefully, and was lead over towards her family. Sonya had somehow appeared as part of the equation, and Yaz could already see her eyeing up the new addition to her hand. Thankfully, she said nothing as they all left the hall, but Yaz couldn’t help but notice the warm feeling in her chest and the fluttering in her stomach again.


	2. They Always Said That I'm No Good For You But Hey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the wedding over, all Yaz had to get through is the sit-down dinner, and some embarassing dancing that turns unusually serious.

After the wedding, which had been easily the most beautiful Yaz had been to yet, the whole procession was lead back to the hall. It had drastically changed in their time away; red and gold fabrics dropped down from the ceiling, candles were almost everywhere, along with several grand displays of flowers. Each table had been themed to a particular flower from the arrangements, and Yaz found her family seated at one inspired by roses. The Doctor was particularly taken in by the display on their table, marvelling at the various shades of red and pink on display. She even went so far as to lean across the table and take a quick sniff of them.

“Best keep an eye on her, Yaz. You’ll lose her, matching with the decorations.”

Yaz looked over to her sister, watching her playful sneer and brushing it off with a roll of her eyes. She liked the Doctor’s rose, it added a delicate touch to her outfit. Although she did wonder where on earth she had plucked one from, considering she swore the TARDIS had no organic matter inside it. Aside from them. The Doctor’s eyes travelled between her and her sister briefly, before settling on Yaz. It took no time at all for her to take the rose from out of her tiny pocket and hold it out towards her.

“Can’t lose me if I’m not the one wearing it, right? C’mere a sec.”

The Doctor gestured for her to lower her head down slightly, and Yaz did as instructed. Dexterous fingers made their way through the tight pull of her hair, and she felt the cool petals resting against the top of her ear. The Doctor pulled back to inspect her handiwork, smiling wide as she pointed at the rose.

“There. Goes nice with your little crown. Plus, reminds me of your N- um...it looks better on you than me. Brings out your eyes and all. Hope you like it too.”

Yaz was almost entirely sure she was blushing up a storm, especially when she felt fingers grazing over a surprisingly sensitive spot behind her ear, but nobody seemed to be paying much attention to it. Or if they were, they were keeping very quiet. She could at least feel Sonya rolling her eyes, but knew that later on in the evening there would be many opportunities to get her revenge. Until then, she turned her attention to staring at the intricate detailing of the table cloth, slightly turning her eyes up to the Doctor as she smiled.

“Thank you.”

She received a wide smile in return before the Doctor pulled the filigree-decorated menu card closer towards her. Yaz could hear her um-ing and ah-ing over the choices of food, excitedly bringing the menu between the pair of them so she could have a look as well. Although, Yaz didn’t have the heart to tell the Doctor that she had put her choices in with the RSVP and played along for posterity's sake. It really was endlessly amusing and endearing how easy it was to capture the Time Lord’s attention and curiosity. It also gave her the perfect opportunity to share some of her culture.

“What do you recommend, Yaz? I’m not actually that good at choosing things, not really. When I’ve got too much choice my brain just goes all haywire. Plus…some of this is all new to me.”

In all her time travelling with the Doctor, Yaz had seen her eat all sorts. Literally. She was not above putting random things in her mouth and somehow gaining a lot of information from it. It still amazed her, also slightly nauseated her, that the Doctor had eaten soil. At least she wasn’t about to start eating the table decorations. Hopefully. Although, considering the very Eastern menu in front of them, Yaz assumed she couldn’t put it past her just yet. After all, a lot of the dishes were quite high up in the spice scale, and one of the things she had yet to see the Doctor take on was spice. Those dishes were easy to avoid, if she played her cards right.

“Maybe you should go for the mattar paneer, that’s nice. Or...maybe just stick to...the butter chicken or something? Aloo gobi is one of my personal favourites though.”

The Doctor pondered over the menu more, occasionally giving Yaz a side-eye stare. She messed around with one of the pockets of her blazer, pulling out a rather intricate looking pen. With a few flourished ticks against the spots on the menu, her mind was made up. More to the point, Yaz had no idea what she had even picked, as the menu was taken away by one of the table hands mere seconds before she could catch a glimpse. Surely the Doctor wouldn’t have gone for something totally random, something she didn’t even understand? As much as she knew that the Time Lord was all for experimentation and exploration of all things new and exciting, a wedding where she was pretending to be her date was surely not the best place for such things. Then again, the Doctor had already proved herself to be far more competent than she had expected. In a sense that she had already fended off several intrusive family members already. That and she had wrote something beyond comprehension on her skin, that would stay there as a reminder for weeks to come.

Yaz was overthinking. She knew she was. She had to trust the Doctor. Nothing was catching fire, in fact she was taming them before they could even start. The more Yaz watched her talk to her family, arms animating in all sorts of ridiculous manners again, the more she felt her heart flutter and heat rise into her cheeks. There was something magical about listening to the Doctor talk of...of anything really. She had come up with such an elaborate lie, knew it like the back of her hand, and for once her mum wasn’t questioning it. She was placated, interested even, which was a contrast to the last time her and the Doctor had been in the same room together. As the minutes ticked away, Yaz found herself engaging too. Not that she had any idea where she was going, trying to work in how she had met the Doctor, but she tried. Every once in a while, she would catch the Doctor looking at her, but she would quickly turn her gaze as if nothing had happened. Or, her hand would drift ever closer to her own, or she would lean into her as she told some particularly interesting part of whatever story she was on.

It was actually a rather sad affair when plates of food started to arrive at the table, as that meant the Doctor straightened herself out and set her sights on something else entirely. Yaz found herself missing the voracious way she spoke, her outlandish gesturing too.

“Enjoy.”

Much to her surprise, Yaz noticed that the Doctor had indeed gone for one of the milder dishes on the menu. To be more precise, the one that she had labelled as her self chosen favourite dish. Aloo gobi. Still, she pretended not to notice, instead turning her attention to the steaming plate of jalfrezi and tehari. Her family had already started to eat without her, which she had come to expect considering the deliriously wong wait times that often came alongside weddings, meaning she had no need to wait to start her own. She picked up the fork and scooped up a portion of rice and sauce, but paused when she felt a tap against her arm. It was the Doctor. She was staring at her with a shy smile, eyes darting between her and her food.

“Yaz...d’ya mind...can I...um....can I try a bit of what you’ve ordered? It smells amazing from here.”

Tilting her head a little to the side, Yaz watched and waited as the Doctor smiled at her. When had she been so shy at asking? Shaking her head a little, Yaz took the food in her mouth. If only to taste test it. As she expected, the spice level was just about reaching her breaking point of being more heat than flavour, and she started to worry a little. The Doctor, however, thought she was ignoring her, and her face fell. She turned back to her own food and went to gather up a forkful for herself, but Yaz wrapped a hand around her wrist and stilled her movements.

“Let me have your fork.”

“Oh. O-okay…”

Yaz was passed the Doctor’s fork with a light touch, expectant hazel-green eyes watching her every move. She used the prongs to try and dip past the chunks of chilli she could find lurking around in the sauce, trying to get more rice to balance things out. In theory. Really, the Doctor was going to need a gallon of water after one taste. Unless she was going to surprise her with some alien resistance to spice. She did eat soil...Content with the carefully measured portion, she twisted the handle of the fork back to the Doctor, who just started at her. Dumbfounded. They stayed locked in a stalemate for a moment before Yaz rolled her eyes and let out a sharp sigh.

“Open your mouth then…”

Again, there was a pause, before the Doctor engaged her brain finally and did as instructed. With her mouth open, Yaz placed the fork on top of the Time Lord’s tongue and watched her close her mouth, finally taking the fork away from her so she could get a grip with the flavours. As Yaz dropped her hands in her lap, she could already see colour forming on the Doctor’s cheeks. Her eyes were wide, and she was sure that tears were pricking the corners of them. That answered her question then. Except, the Doctor was trying desperately to pass off that everything was fine as she chewed, even though her jaw was twitching with every passing second.

If she wasn’t so concerned, then Yaz knew she would have started to laugh then and there. Trying to hold back a snigger, when the Doctor swallowed, she reached over the table and pulled over the water jug to fill up the adjacent glass for the Doctor to take a drink. When she opened her mouth to talk, the first thing she did was a strange mix between a cough and a choke. The noise alerted the rest of the family, and it was Sonya who added to the snickering and failed attempts at veiled laughter.

“Doctor, have a drink. I told you, I can handle my spices. That’s why I told you to have something else. You haven’t been brought up on this stuff like I have.”

She tried to speak again, but only coughed louder. Sweating hands took hold of the glass and Yaz watched in confused amazement as the Doctor downed the whole glass without batting an eyelid. She lurched forward slightly with a long sigh, eyes closed, tongue lolling out of her mouth like a dog as she took in sharp lungfuls of air.

“I...I thought...that maybe...you were just joking around. Stars, Yaz, how’dya eat that stuff?! You’re a machine. Feels like I just swallowed a piece of volcanic rock. Straight out of the lava. Remind me...remind me to never do that again...please…gods, why is it still burning my throat?”

* * *

It was surprising how quickly a room could go from being just a hall, to a dining room, and then back to a hall again. By the time everyone had been outside to take pictures with and of the happy couple, everything had changed again. All the banners and decorations remained, but now multi coloured lights were slowly flashing through the room as a DJ got his setup ready for the rest of the night. Sonya and her ‘date’ had excused themselves from the “lame after party boredom” to go and hang out with their shared group of friends. Yaz knew that her mum and dad would still be mingling with people for a couple more hours, which left her practically stranded at the worst part of any wedding. She knew all the songs off by heart - those never really changed - and it would be ages before they would even begin to play anything more...to her tastes. So, she resided herself to the chairs dotted around the outside of the now-dancefloor, watching on as music suddenly started and somehow almost scared her half to death with the floor rumbling bass.

The Doctor was nowhere to be seen, having disappeared to the bathroom far longer than Yaz had thought was possible. Then again, considering how she had gone down earlier, it was possible she had just been caught up by people. Having some time to herself was nice, even if it was hard to think with the heavy Bhangra drums blaring out of the speakers. People had already made their way onto the dance floor, throwing all sorts of obtuse and ridiculous shapes. It was more or less part and parcel of the whole wedding thing. She had never seen anyone actually able to dance, and it was the couple’s first dance to boot so people were trying to tone themselves down. It wouldn’t be long before her dad would be joining in, and the thought alone brought along second hand embarrassment.

To try and distract herself, again, Yaz lifted a hand hand took hold of the rose that sat behind her ear. Even with the slight stem, she managed to twist the flower around between her thumb and forefinger, taking in the browning edge of the petals. She could smell its sweet and earthy scent without having to put it closer to her nose, and it brought a smile to her face. Yaz had never really been given flowers, or anything really. She had sometimes dreamt of a moment where that had happened, anything from a single flower to a massive bouquet. Part of her was entirely against the whole act of adoration - it took away from the planet’s natural beauty for a fleeting moment of insignificance - but she also secretly adored the meaning behind it all. The Doctor hadn’t ever struck her as the kind of person...alien…to do such a thing and yet here she was. Now grinning like a madwoman, staring at a dying rose, holding it close to her chest as she desperately tried to deny herself the moment to think deeper about the meaning behind it.

“You...you really like that rose, huh?”

  
  
Startling out of her stupor again, Yaz turned her head around to the right to see the Doctor sitting besides her. Her hair was slightly more dishevelled, and her tie was now hanging loose around her neck with the top button of her shirt undone. How had she managed to sneak over without so much as a sound? Right...the music, and the lights too. They were practically camouflage for her. Yaz let her hands fall into her lap, still idly twisting the flower between her fingers as she prayed the low lighting was enough to hide her subsequent blush.

“It’s beautiful. I mean...I’ve never been given a flower before. Except for at the wedding. N-not this one...the other one...you know.”

The Doctor looked at her with a soft gaze, smiling like she was the only person in the room.

“Well, when you put it like that, I seem to be making a bit of a habit out of this. It’s not a bad thing...is it? Because, I don’t want you to feel like I’ve got some kind of ulterior motive or whatever else like that. You just look good with flowers in your hair. They always bring out your eyes, which I wasn’t just making up for the sake of it. Anyway, what’re you doing all over here? The party’s kicked off!”

Tucking the rose back behind her ear, Yaz’s eyes fell to the wayside as she let out a quiet sigh. As much as she wanted to dwell on the positive things the Doctor had said, the question had thrown her off course and made her remember just how much she hated family events. It was something that was a complete opposite to the Doctor, she was completely in her element here. Lights, sounds, people...everything that Yaz found herself disliking more and more as the years wore on. Her Nani had the right idea, avoiding as many as she possibly could, but Yaz had made the mistake of not booking shifts and she had to stick with it. At least the Doctor had made it one of the most enjoyable nights.

“I...I don’t like parties. They aren’t really my thing. Too much noise, and I have to watch my dad being proper cringy sometimes too. He thinks he can dance, but he really can’t. Not like I can say anything. That’s why I stick to a corner and just watch. I don’t really fit in here.”

A strange sound came from the Doctor’s mouth, causing Yaz to look back up at her. Had she offended her? Or was it just surprise? Understanding? She had no idea really, although the Doctor’s mouth had dropped slightly.

“Wait, you don’t dance? But dancing’s brilliant Yaz!”

That…was not the answer she had been expecting. Two hands came around her own and pulled them up, Yaz following before her brain could keep her seated. The Doctor dropped her hands again, if only to rest them on her own hips, before shaking her head. Yaz had to admit she had no expected dancing to be the point of contention for the night. Since when could the Time Lord even dance anyway, she was a danger to herself more often than not. Her legs could keep her running but that was about it. Otherwise she was a stumbling, uncoordinated mess of a person. All limbs and chaos wrapped up in a tiny little package.

“Doctor, don’t take this the wrong way but...you don’t seem like the dancing type yourself, you know. Need I remind you of how many times you fall up the TARDIS steps on a regular basis?”

“That’s beside the point, Yaz. Dancing is, as I said, brilliant! You don’t have to be good at it to enjoy it. All that matters is having fun, really. Come on, come with me. I’d like to learn some moves off you. Surely you know some, I can see your foot tapping to the beat of this song.”

Sure enough, when Yaz looked down, her body was beginning to betray her without any kind of warning. Her left foot was tapping along to the rhythmic drum beat, bringing back childish memories of dancing along to the current song’s music video. When her head shot back up to look at the Doctor to protest, Yaz paused. She was giving her the eyes. The puppy dog eyes. The ones she had given her to go to Pakistan all those months ago. The Doctor had learnt her greatest weapon and was turning it against her. How was that even possible?

“Doctor...I…”

She wanted to protest, but it was impossible. Her words died in her throat and shrank back until she sighed and shook her head in approval. It was hard to miss the Doctor’s squeal of joy, even with the loud music, and soon Yaz found herself being dragged onto the dancefloor. She prayed that her mum and dad were somewhere else, unable to see the spectacle that was about to befall the world. Her sandals and long dress were not conducive to dancing in the slightest, but with the Doctor’s weighty enthusiasm and bouncing step, she was too far in the deep end to escape.

As it turned out, trying to teach the Doctor even the most simple of dance steps was a test of Yaz’s wills. Not that she wasn’t listening to her or anything like that, she was very interested and took them far too seriously. Toes were stepped on, arms hitting her own as the Doctor tried to find her feet but just couldn’t quite get the rhythm down. Yaz wondered if any of her family were side-eying her, or laughing, but when she turned to see the Doctor grinning as she tried for the umpteenth time to try and move to the beat...she didn’t care. Yaz couldn’t hold back her laugh. She laughed so much that the Doctor finally paused and looked at her before breaking into a fit of giggles of her own.

“You...how are you worse than my dad?”

“Well maybe because dad dancing is just in my DNA. I told you I was a bloke for my whole life before this. Anyway, I’m not that bad, am I?”

“Like a newborn giraffe trying to find their feet. So, yeah. Pretty bad. But don’t worry, you’re better at so many other things.”

That caused the Doctor to stop laughing and straighten herself out. The sudden loss of the accompanying chorus of giggles made Yaz stop laughing too, wonder what had happened. Until her brain caught up and she realised what she had just said.

Of course, there was no way that the Time Lord had missed it, because Yaz watched her shrink back in on herself and look up at the dancing lights on the ceiling. There was, however, a smile on her face. Just about. Twitching the corners of her lips as she swallowed hard. If it wasn’t for their close proximity, Yaz would have missed what she quietly muttered to the roof of the building.

“What am I good at, Yaz?”

Where would she even start with that? Why was the Doctor asking her to tell her? Surely she knew already, considering the amount of times that Yaz had complimented her over the months before she could close her mouth and reassess the situation. But no, she was being asked to say them. Again. Yaz felt her mind grow blank, the rest of the room shrinking away into nothingness as she felt an imaginary spotlight pinning her to the floor. When the Doctor looked at her again, eyes warm and inviting, her heart skipped a beat.

“I...you...you know so much about the universe. About the stars. Planets. People. Places. You do whatever you can do to help them and make sure everyone is okay. You’re kind..and brave...the best person I’ve ever met.”

By the time Yaz had finished talking, the air in the room had changed. The Doctor was looking down at her, reminding her of all the times in the TARDIS where a similar thing had happened. They were so close now. But, not only that, the music had stopped. No, not stopped. It had changed. The floor shaking bass hit of drums had been removed. The lights were no longer flashing wildly either, instead slowly moving between all the colours of the rainbow. Yaz shook her head to take her out of her daze, looking around the room. People had paired up, and she swore she saw her parents in the opposite corner of the room, but they were only paying attention to each other. As she looked around and listened, she realised what was going on. When she turned back to the Doctor, she saw a hand extended out to her, and the dark blush highlighting the Time Lord’s usually pale complexion.

“I think this is more my speed. What’dya say, Yaz? Care to let this fumbling old alien take you for a spin? Or, we can just go sit back do-”

“Yes.”

Neither the Doctor, nor Yaz, knew how to proceed after that. When the moment of dumbfounded staring ended, they joined hands and smiled together. It only took a second for the Doctor to slide her arm around Yaz’s waist and take hold of one hand to lead her around the dancefloor. It was beyond anything that she had expected. There was no sumbling, no out of time steps. Nothing. The Doctor was moving around as if the floor was ice and she was a champion ice skater. Each twirl and spin drew them closer together on the rebound, so much so that Yaz wondered if she was still breathing at this point or if she were lost in some kind of fever dream. Fingers brushed against the bare skin of her back, occasionally tracing over the vertebrae as they moved in total harmony. They sent shivers down her spine, left heat in their wake, but nothing compared to the feeling of cool air from the Doctor ghosting over her cheeks. Yaz was completely lost in her own world, no longer listening to the comforting piano.

She no longer regretted coming to the wedding. She had no regrets left in the entire world. The Doctor was there, with her, treating her like she was a princess. Her body was a perfect fit to her own, she realised, and Yaz also realised that she wouldn’t have had it any other way. Sure, if she was with Ryan then the day would have been a wonderful series of japes and jokes. He could cheer her up like nobody’s business. But...how much would she have missed out on by going with a friend?

_‘The Doctor is my friend...isn’t she?’_

She was just a friend. Nothing more. She...she had to be. Surely. Surely there was nothing else behind it, the Doctor had said so herself. But the more Yaz thought, the more her head started to hurt with conflicting information. The suit. The rose. The henna. Sharing their food. Catching glances. Fending off her family. No...no, she was reading into it. Right?

“You’re thoughts are going a mile a minute, I can hear you from here.”

“Wh-what? I...you…”

The Doctor quietly laughed to herself, pushing Yaz away to twist her out into the world before drawing her back in again, shaking her head slightly as she saw the fear in her companion’s eyes. She had never mentioned her own telepathic abilities, probably not the best time to do so either. Not that she had actually heard anything Yaz was thinking, she was far too careful for that, it was the furrowing of her brows and tense lips that drew her attention. Something was wrong.

“No, I’m only messing. You just look and feel tense. Do you want to stop?”

They danced their way into the second song, Yaz never taking her eyes off the hazel-green ones of the Doctor. They held their gaze as she felt her body leaning down towards the floor in the most delicate dip Yaz had ever seen, nevermind felt. The Doctor was so close to her then, noses almost brushing together as they stayed locked in that moment. It was hard for her eyes not to flick up and down between the Doctor’s own and her lips. It was subconscious. Something was drawing her in, fast and hard and Yaz felt like her head was on cloud nine from a lack of oxygen. She parted her lips to speak, felt the Doctor pull her in closer by the waist and cling hold of her, so close now that her own words brushed over her lips.

“No.” 

She was upright again, the Doctor’s eyes wide and staring at her as if she had just said the worst thing in the world. But...she had said she wanted to keep dancing. Wasn’t that what the Doctor wanted? Before she could question the look, it was gone, almost taking the Time Lord with it. They continued to dance to the music, but it was Yaz who then felt the tension in the Doctor’s posture and the stiff way her feet moved. No sooner had the song ended, did they break apart and the Doctor make her way back to the chairs, leaving Yaz to stand there utterly dumbfounded as to what had just happened.

* * *

The journey back to her flat was a quiet one. The Doctor had decided she wanted the walk back to the TARDIS, not wanting to give Yaz’s parents the opportunity to see where she was hiding. It was a smart idea, and Yaz admired her honesty, but sitting alone in the back of the far was not how she had planned the night to end. As tiny drops of rain made their way down the window, she watched them fall with a heavy sigh, lifting a finger to follow them across the glass as the outskirts of Sheffield became nothing but a blur to tired eyes. In light of her silence, she was surprised her parents weren’t trying to talk to her about the event, but they remained quiet as the only sound to grace her ears continued to be the dull drum of cars breezing past. Getting home after the long day was going to be nice, especially taking off her dress. The whole backless and exposed torso deal was giving her chills, goosebumps prickling across her skin the longer she stayed pressed to leather seats.

She followed her mum from the carpark up to the flat, her dad staying behind to spend far too long trying to park in their allocated spot. Someone had decided it was a good idea to almost double park, and she didn’t want her mum to explode. Again. So, she took her through the rain and back. It was calmer. Still, she heard not a peep. That was, until they reached the front door. Yaz almost walked into her mum, who stood in front of the door with a pointed stare. Half expecting some kind of wild accusation, Yaz set up one of her own as a counterpoint, but faltered as her mum softened her gaze and let out a quiet sigh.

“Let’s get inside first. Your dad might be a few minutes yet. You know how he is.”

All Yaz could do was nod in response, glad to leave the outside and get into the warm. Thankful for the central heating, Yaz dropped herself down onto the sofa and pulled her mum’s lingering cardigan across her chest and sank into the thick knit wool. She really should have brought her jacket along. Stupid formality. It took a moment before her mum sat down beside her, messing around with the ties in her hair until it fell loose over her shoulders again. That was something else she was looking forward to, removing the braid in her hair, but judging by the next stare...she wasn’t going anywhere at all for a while.

“So...tell me about the Doctor, Yaz.”

* * *

The Doctor had managed to make it back to the TARDIS just moments before rain began to fall, thanking her lucky stars as she walked into the warm golden glow of her beloved ship’s embrace. The lights had come on before she had a chance to clap her hands, doors already open for her to walk inside without a single word. Still, it wouldn’t last for long, as she could already feel her nosy ship starting to pinch and probe and mutter utterances into her head with a silken sarcastic tone.

“Why not just ask me how it was, instead of rooting around. I told you not to do that, you know. It’s rather rude and I’m not in the mood for playing around really.”

She surprised herself with her own curt response, pausing mid step before she leant back against the console with a weary sigh. She lifted both hands up to drag them through her hair, but stopped as she caught sight of the winding dark lines across her palm. The TARDIS noticed almost instantly, leaving the Doctor to laugh as she roughed her own hair up and threw the tie across one of the many levers on the console panel.

“Yeah, it’s off Yaz. Part of the culture. Like last time. Why?”

The TARDIS let off a slow whine, followed by a melodic series of beeps that caused the Doctor to laugh again, but much drier this time. As if fighting an insult.

“Doesn’t matter really, does it. Not like it’s gonna happen again. You know I was only there to help her out, nothing else. She said so herself. Doesn’t matter how much I...I...look, it doesn’t matter. It’s done now. Finished. Kaput. We’ll be back to righting the wrongs of the universe tomorrow, like none of this ever happened. Why does it matter to you, anyway?”

The Doctor knew why it mattered. Deep down. She just tried to ignore it, same as she had done for the whole night. And, for many months prior. She was just a silly old Time Lord who gave Yaz the life she wanted. They were just friends. Yaz had said as much herself. Hadn’t she? Doubt began to seep into her head, if only because the TARDIS was probing around again. She was dragging up various snippets of memory; her choosing a suit, meeting najia, the dinner...the dance...Growling to herself, both hands came down hard against the console as the Doctor twisted herself around to face the pulsating central column, gritting her teeth briefly.

“Oh no, don’t you even think about it. I’m not having you twist all of this. None of it. Keep your...your...just keep out of this, okay? I did what I had to do.”

Except, the TARDIS didn’t let up. She scolded her, like a petulant child, beeping and buzzing frantically as if to start an argument. But the Doctor wouldn’t rise to it. She just let her face fall, eyes closing, another sigh passing her lips.

_‘She doesn’t see me like that...I just like her more than I should. She would never want me.’_

* * *

“What...mum, what do you mean?”

Scrambling her way out of the cardigan, Yaz let it fall into her lap as she tried to meet her mum’s gaze, but failed before looking at the floor. It was the light laugh that brought her attention back.

“Yasmin...I wasn’t born yesterday. You’ve already tried to pull this over my eyes once before and I can see that things aren’t getting anywhere so just tell me. Do you like her?”

Of course Yaz liked the Doctor. She was an utterly remarkable woman, who had showed her the stars and the past and the future and everything in between. It was hard not to like her, everyone seemed to gravitate towards her and she was no exception. It was only natural to want to be around her, to be close to her. It didn’t mean anything. Yaz admired her. She was everything she wanted to be. Smart, brave, daring...it was nothing special at all. They were just friends. Just...just friends.

“So, I’m right then, aren’t I?”

Yaz wanted to respond, to fight back against her mum taking a side without even hearing what she was going to say in her own defence...but before she could, she heard keys turning in the front door. Her dad had finally parked the car. There was no time to talk now. Yet, everything she needed to know was clear as day in her mum’s eyes and her smile. With a heavy sigh, Yaz slung the cardigan across her shoulders and bit her tongue.

“Tell her.”

She ran past her dad, who called out to her as she ran across the concrete balcony and down towards the long staircase. Each step she took made her heart feel heavier, her stomach turn, everything inside her mind telling her to turn back and just go to sleep. But she couldn’t, not knowing that her mum was right. Yaz needed to talk to the Doctor. She had to know what had been happening throughout the night, if she had been making things up in her head...or if she had been right all along.

* * *

  
  


“I’m just an idiot...you know me...never quite knew my way around these kinds of things. You’ve seen me make a complete arse of myself over the years. How you still stick around is beyond me. Should have left me on Desolation really...wouldn’t make a mess of things if I was still there. You could have taken them home...left me to my fate...then Yaz…”

She paused, pulling her knees closer to her chest as she let her head knock a few times against cool golden metal. The TARDIS responded with a high pitched whine, causing the Doctor to snort a laugh. She was an utter mess of a Time Lord. Who decided to put so much emotion into such an old, foolish person? It was a curse, two hearts, not a blessing as she had been led to believe all her life. She expected the TARDIS to go off at her again, but there was nothing but silence. Silence and the sound of her own shallow breathing into the empty void. The Doctor had tried to hard to ignore her feelings, until she had been given an opportunity to act on them. An opportunity to hide behind the lie of an act. She could dote on Yaz, compliment her, do everything she had ever wanted to do with her....all to keep up appearance. Who was to know she wasn’t really acting at all? Nobody. Except her. Oh, her heart had grown so full and heavy as the night wore on. She had almost exposed herself, gotten so very close to the forbidden fruit and burning flames that were Yasmin Khan. Rational thought and logic were the only things that had saved her. Of course she was being a fool, what about her was special enough to get Yaz to like her back?

“Come on, let’s get into the vortex. I’ll go away for a few days, cool off, and come back. Nobody will know the difference. Then things can-”

She was cut off by a warning beep, followed by another, and another. The Doctor slowly made her way onto her feet, rounding the console to the flashing screen and narrowing her eyes at it. What had the TARDIS decided to pick up? It took a few moments for her to realise it was someone running. She saw a flash of magenta...and teal...a flash of white. Was that...Yaz?

“W-what? But...but why...why is she coming here? There’s nothing going on around here, right? You’d tell me if there was an emergency.”

The Doctor paced around the console, trying to wrack her brains about what could possibly be going on. If there wasn’t chaos...no, she wouldn’t be coming for her. Surely not. Why would she? Unless she had messed up. Had she done something to upset her parents? Was she coming to warn her of some coming storm from Najia? No, she had been on her best behaviour the whole night. Except for…

“Oh...oh please, no. Don’t be that. Please tell me she didn’t notice that. Oh...oh god...w-what do I do? I can’t talk to her...can I? Should I? What if I’ve got this all wrong. What do...oh...oh...think Doctor. Calm down. It’s just Yaz. Yasmin Khan. Sweet...wonderful...oh, this is bad. Really bad. No, I can do this. I can talk to her. I’ve got myself all in a tizz, I bet it’s nothing at all. She’s running awfully fast though. Must be the rain. Better go meet her. Get those doors open, would you dear?”

She could hear the TARDIS sigh in her head, but it made her smile at least, and calmed her nerves somewhat. Trying to put on her best smile, the Doctor leapt down the TARDIS steps and made a beeline into the open air. However, she had to hold onto the door frame and brace herself for impact, as one Yasmin Khan barrelled into her and almost knocked her onto the floor. She yelped in surprise as a body came into contact with her own, Yaz soon scrambling backwards to get her bearings again. Apparently, she hadn’t expected to come quite so face to face with the Doctor, as her eyes were wide and cheeks dark from running so hard.

“Alright, Yaz? What’s got you all in a spin? Almost threw me off then, there. I don’t make a good landing pad, just wanna get that out there. All arms and legs, you know me.”

She tried to laugh through it, but the Doctor didn’t realise how winded she was herself, instead coughing for a moment and trying to pass it off as nothing.

“Doctor! I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I didn’t think you’d be just standing there and...wait...why are you standing there? Here. Why are you standing here?”

“Well...you’re the one running at me, and I did just kinda ask why first so…”

Had the Doctor...yes, the more Yaz thought about it, yes she had asked first. She really was in a world of her own. When her mind finally caught up with her, she took a few steps forward, keeping her eyes to the floor as she spoke.

“Right...um...well...I just...you see...I...there’s something...can...can I ask you something, Doctor?”

Smooth, Yaz. Totally smooth. Still, when she turned to look at the Doctor, at least she wasn’t laughing at her pathetic attempt at communication. Instead, she looked concerned, taking a step over towards her and almost squaring up again. Her hands were in the pockets of her trousers, jacket flapping a little in the slight breeze. It didn’t matter it was still drizzling apparently. Then again, maybe it was better to talk in a place where Yaz could simply just run off again. If she was in the TARDIS, she would have to ask to leave. Outside? Fair game. Although, she hoped it wouldn’t have to come to that.

“Always.”

There it was. That soft tone. The one that was reserved only for her. It was light, airy, and drew her in so quickly that Yaz swore she was already falling again. That was how the Doctor always got her, and she had to know why. What was the meaning behind that tone, the half-lidded stair, the total openness of body language. What was she trying to tell her?

“A-about tonight. This whole...wedding thing. And...me saying I needed a date. And you...offering to come with me. You managed to keep my family at bay. You stopped them asking all the awkward questions I had feared for a whole day. What you wrote on my hand...how you offered me your food...the...the dance.”

The Doctor winced at the last word. She had noticed. Of course she had. Yaz was a police officer, how did she think she was going to put anything past her?

“Oh...that. You, uh, you noticed that. Look. Yaz. I’m the one who should be apologising. I tried really, really hard and...I want you to know, that I wasn’t trying anything funny. I swear. Cross my hearts.”

Yaz paused as she watched the Doctor draw an actual cross over her chest with one hand, lifting her head to look at the sky. It reminded her of the same time on the dancefloor when she had asked Yaz to tell her what she was good at. It was the same nervous, flustered energy.

“I wanted to help you with your family because I care about you. And that’s what a good friend would do. But...things...they kind of got a little bit out of hand. I think I forgot where the lines were, and that’s my fault. I took things too seriously, forgot to turn my emotions off and-”

“Doctor...what do you mean by ‘turn your emotions off’?”

Was she really going to make her say it? The Doctor lowered her head back down and looked at Yaz. Really looked at her. Her eyes said everything she needed to know and a razor sharp lump formed in her throat. She had to say it. It was the only way out of the mess she had put herself in. At least she could just run away afterwards. Maybe get some new companions. She was about to ruin their lives anyway, might as well make a show of it.

“I...Yaz...I like you. A lot. A lot more than a friend should. And I’m so sorry that I’ve made things awkward and you’re probably going to hate me now and that’s totally fair. I accept that. You don’t have to be my friend anymore...we don’t have to...have to do any of this anymore. You deserve someone better than m-”

Another squeak reverberated through the Doctor’s chest as her words her cut short. By Yaz. Her hands had grabbed hold of the lapels of her blazer, tugged her down, forcing her down to her level so she...so she…

_‘She likes me…’_

The Doctor closed her eyes and let herself melt completely into Yaz and her touch. It was just a kiss, but it was the longest one of the Doctor’s life, and she found herself bemoaning the contact when Yaz pulled away and stared at her with tear-glazed eyes. The Doctor wondered if she had just imagined the whole thing, until she heard Yaz laugh. She was laughing. Her hands let go of her lapel, leaving her stumbling upright as her companion doubled over and shook with now silent laughter.

“Oh my god...mum was right...please don’t make me tell her she was right on this, I’ll never hear the end of it.”

“I...um...Yaz? What...what just happened? I feel like I’m missing some vital information here.”

* * *

“I’ve been driving myself mad, wondering if I was seeing things. Things that really weren’t there. And all this time...all this time you were in the same place as me. Just wondering. You really mean it...that you’ve liked me for...how long now?”

“Um. Six months, one week, four days, nineteen hours, eleven minutes and...fifteen seconds. Sixteen. Seven- yeah. Um...a while.”

There was no way that the Doctor was lying to her, not judging by the sly tug of a smile at her lips and the deep crimson blush across her face. They were just as bad as each other, Yaz had to admit, especially considering she felt a thousand degrees too hot even with most of her skin on show to the cool night air.

“So...um...Yaz. Question. What do we...what do we do now?”

That was one thing that Yaz knew, with every fibre of her being, how to answer. She smiled wide towards the Doctor, shuffling across the TARDIS step until they were hip to hip, wrapping her arms around her neck and pulling her in impossibly close.

“We stop playing pretend.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New year fam! Thank you so much for the most wild year of writing I think I've ever had.  
> It had been an absolute pleasure keeping you entertained both before and during the hiatus.  
> I didn't ever expect to get here...and it's all thanks to you. I'd be nothing without your support.
> 
> Keep an eye out in early January, because I have a surprise for my ao3 anniversary.
> 
> Until then, come bother me on Twitter or Tumblr as usual~  
> @The RainbowFox13 & the-rainbow-fox-13


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